The Conscious Seed of Light

I recently reviewed Where Owls Know My Name, Rivers of Nihil's 2018 saxophone metal album, and I thought that it was fine, but a bit generic and quite boring. However, their debut album is far less boring as well as less generic (though it still is a little bit of both). Dieffenbach's vocals are still probably the weakest link of the album, but his deepish fry manages to not be quite as bad as it is on their later albums like The Work. This album is also a lot more exciting instrumentally. I wouldn't say the clean production necessarily robs the music of its impact because everything on here is a lot more lively and fun than most of what they've done since.

The Terrestria series of instrumentals began with this album, and Terrestria 1 is probably one of the best songs on here. It is very intense, combining many different riffs and rhythms together in an undeniably satisfying way. There are actual blast beats on this album, tempo changes, tremolo and otherwise rhythmic picking from the guitars, and a lot of clear death metal influence shining through. There's some prog wankery, but it's mostly very tasteful. Another thing I love about this album is its decidedly fast pace. There's a lot of frantic blast beats, guitar harmonies, and other fun and interesting things thrown into the mix; most of it, honestly, really does work.

Other than the mostly great heavy parts, Rivers indulges in several clean parts too, which are, as usual, very good. I said in my last review that those clean, ethereal parts were the better sections of Where Owls Know My Name, but on here they're just about as good as the death metal. To expand on what I said earlier, there's death metal influence for sure, but also a little bit of core, which rears its head during Birth of The Omnisavior especially. Though, I must stress, it's not TOO MUCH core. They employ breakdowns here and there, just like they employ proggy sections here and there. This album is simply downright well-written and quite tasteful with how it's arranged. It's melodic and heavy in all the right places, so I have very little to complain about.

Can't believe I'm saying this, but Rivers actually isn't a band I dislike anymore. I was not very inclined to dig further into their discography after seeing them live and hearing them meander their way through those boring 2018 songs, but I'm glad I did. This is a very good debut album. While some of the things I dislike about their 2018 album are still on display, like the super sterile production and Dieffenbach's frankly "meh" vocals, the music is damn good and I'm confused as to why this has a 64% average. Bullshit if you ask me, because to my ears, The Conscious Seed of Light is very effective, exciting, and well worth a listen or two.

After 2 EPs we finally got a full-length from the band. After the horrible Hierarchy came the amazing Temporality Unbound with its technical approach. This is what I expected from this album too: make it technical and progressive, but don't turn it into a wank fest and also keep it heavy. Frankly, they managed to do just that, yet it still feels odd.

First of all, lets see what's good about the album. As soon as the record start Terrestria I: Thaw hits you with its melodic and atmospheric style. It's gotta be one of the best intros that I have ever heard especially since it transitions to Rain Eater so well (which might just be the greatest track on the album). After that calm and atmospheric intro you get 38 mins of relentless riffing, technical drumming, much better vocals than the ones you could find on the EPs (they are sharper here and have even less deathcore elements) and bass technicality. It truly has everything that the EP had and even improved at some points. While the album showcases the skill of the members on each instrument, it never goes to the wankery territory where bands like Beyond Creation prefers to stay. The production is also a killer, it's much more clean than it was on the EPs making it an easier listen.

Sadly the band still didn't get rid off every deathcore elements, but they are using even less now. Occasional breakdown parts are still here, but they are less common than they were. On some songs (e.g. Soil & Seed) you can hear some black metal shrieking, and this would be great as backing vocals (and luckily it usually stays at that), but when it goes from backing to lead vocals it really ruins the atmosphere of the songs. These are the smaller problems compared to the fact that it's just too god damn long. The album is pretty much their second EP with more melodies, and the reason the EP worked to good is because it was short and the material was just good enough to fill it up, but when you take an album that's 40 mins and it has the same quality of songs it is just a little underwhelming and gets boring easily towards the 30 min mark.

Overall this isn't a bad album by any means, it's enjoyable and an improvement in instrumentation and they added some much needed melodies to the mix, but the fact that it overstays its welcome by a whopping 10 mins ruins it. Luckily for us the band isn't done just yet.

The highlights of the record are: Terrestria I: Thaw and Rain Eater.

The Conscious Seed of Light has a very fascinating and impressive intro in Terrestria I: Thaw. It’s beautifully composed, with one of the most blistering blast beats I’ve ever listened to. Quite frankly, it’s one of the best preludes for a death metal record! Followed by Rain Eater, this song is terrifyingly good that you can’t ask for more, using the substance of the prelude to expand on the meaning. That’s a prime example of how to start a record with a bang.

With that being said, the record started to show its cons fairly quickly. There’s no denying that it showed how developed the music is and how prominent it is to technical/progressive death metal. However, it doesn’t contemplate and enhances the atmosphere and style I thought the band was portraying. The re-recorded versions of Birth of the Omnisavior and Human Adaptation (which the latter wasn't that bad) are not as good as the originals, especially when the former sounds more generic and tasteless, while the original had more progressive layers. Speaking of the former, where’s the chorus effect in the song’s bridge?! More of the record’s portion reminded me of their first EP: chugging in the taste of the deathcore subgenre, uninspiring listen, and the whole technical part is underwhelming (to some extent), as it’s simultaneously combined with said chugging.

Soil & Seed, Central Antheneum, and Mechanical Trees describe well the experiment the band was working on, not to mention the titles themselves, the meaning and the metaphors behind them. This experiment showed proper technicality and progressiveness, as well as sounding fresh and uncommon. The vocals are in place, as I imagined the singer would go with, while these three songs’ experimental approach pinned for future reference. This doesn’t take away from how excellent Rain Eater and the re-recorded version of Human Adaptation are.

I’m still complimenting the band for building up their direction in later years, which this record halfway through proved so. If only the rest of it followed the prelude and the opening song. I only wished they’ve incorporated the sound of their second EP into The Conscious Seed of Light since that’s what hooked me up and would break away from the band’s deathcore influence. While the debut is unfavorable, at least the band isn’t losing their edge yet.

Rivers Of Nihil is a technical death metal from Pennsylvania. This album mostly showcases mediocre 8 string guitar masturbation, while sometimes showing promising moments of technical proficiency from the band.

The vocals on this album aren't very typical for technical death metal. They're almost in vein of hardcore vocals. While these vocals aren't commonly heard in technical death metal, they don't really correlate with this band's style. Might I add, these vocals sound very monotone. Although the guitars on this album are very technical, a lot of the guitar parts and riffs are very average. The bass on this album is also very conventional for technical death metal. Then we get to the drums. The drums on this album are absolutely atrocious. The double bass triggers on this album are very uncoordinated with the other instruments surrounding it, while the actual trigger sound is very synthetic. Excluding the double bass sound, the other drum parts on this album are standard for technical death metal.

This album opens up with "Terrestria I: Thaw" which shows a promising start for the album with tremolo picked guitars. Following the first track is the song "Rain Eater" which in my opinion is the highlight of this album. The next track is "The Birth Of The Omnisavior" which is another above-average technical death metal song. After this is when this album starts to go downhill.

The album from here starts to get very monotonous. Almost every single track from here is very mediocre and dull. The continuation of dull tracks throughout the album absolutely kills this albums composition or any sort of flow it might have possessed. In summary, you might like this album if you're a fan of technical death metal. The spamming of 8 string guitar notes, 6 string bass notes, and horribly triggered drums just isn't for me. I'd like to see how Rivers Of Nihil stylistically grows with their next album, if they grow at all.

I really wanted this to live up to its magnificent artwork. Just look at it, man. Pure Dan Seagrave magic! Rivers Of Nihil hail from Pennsylvania and sport a brand of decidedly modern technical death metal, which whilst managing to avoid a few of the elements I dislike about the modern strand of the genre, isn't something which would make for my regular listening.

The opening instrumental "Terrestria I: Thaw" almost had me thinking otherwise, with its cool atmosphere created via icy tremolo-picked guitars, although come true opener "Rain Eater" Rivers Of Nihil unleash a relatively standard array of up-tempo, blasty DM anchored via mechanical, low tuned guitars (likely eight string). Throughout The Conscious Seed Of Light Rivers Of Nihl blend together sounds heard in the Polish death/black scene with atypical modern technical death metal and some twanging Meshuggah flourishes.

What I do like about The Conscious Seed of Light is the idea behind it. Whilst the album isn't to be seen as a concept release, the band began the project with plans to do a sort of four-release cycle, with each one reflecting a particular season. Now, I think that's pretty fucking cool, and I'll definitely be interested to see if they stick to their guns and pull it off. The Conscious Seed of Light represents spring, which can be seen in the lyrics, song titles and album artwork, and whilst death metal would be the last music style I'd expect to invoke feelings of spring, I can certainly see what they're going for. Particularly with the icier beginning of the album paving the way for chaotic blasting which could represent the seeds sprouting, and saplings pushing their way through the thaw; a sort of dramatic, tumultuous look at new life I guess.

The music itself, as previously touched on, is standard fare. You'll have heard these ideas before in varying acts, and whilst Rivers Of Nihil put it all together into a fairly cohesive package, genre buffs will no doubt be able to pick apart the influence the band wears on their sleeves, from Decrepit Birth to Meshuggah to Behemoth. In saying that though, the performances are exceptionally well done, and the band's technical pedigree is no doubt impressive. Jake Dieffenbach's vocals are surprisingly enjoyable too, whilst decidedly modern, I hear a little less tough guy and more David Vincent which thankfully tears down one of the major barriers I have in enjoying a lot of this stuff.

It's a shame Rivers Of Nihil couldn't fully realize their concept with some more original music, although I'll certainly be interested to see how, and if the band grows. As a debut, The Conscious Seed of Light has its moments, and it's cool they don't bludgeon you with overt technical drivel. Whilst it's not my ideal strand of DM I think this will really appeal to fans of the style.

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

The Conscious Seed of Light album begins with a very solid introductory instrumental. I am usually one to toss all thought of short intro’s aside, but this one serves a good purpose. The gradual build up with its entrancing melody, the bass softly pounding in the background steadily merging with the destructive crashing of symbols towards the end of the song is absolutely mesmerizing. On top of all this, it ties into the second track beautifully.

Rivers of Nihil’s vocals could be described as aggressive shouting, they are similar to Meshuggah’s in that sense but sound meaner and a little more strained, nonetheless totally vicious. The lyrics are still very understandable which a lot of people like myself appreciate greatly. They occasionally switch to a gentle but still deadly growl for a few verses, but only in a couple songs. There’s nothing wrong with all out hell-bent guttural growls, but it sure is nice to learn the lyrics from just listening casually and not having to look them up.

The bass can be heard more often than not, blaring a wild line going in every direction, tying the chaos formed between the guitars and drums together. Said guitars and drums are usually playing at the same speed through the entire album, always keeping a steady melody brewing.

I recommend the introductory track “Terrestria I: Thaw” combined with the following song “Rain Eater” if you desire to check this band out. Just as the hypnotic riffs of the prior are ending, the latter picks up what was left behind and quickly turns it around into a savage explosion of metal rage. Also, the fading outro to “Rain Eater” is captivating in every sense.

There is a severe lack of solos on this album, so if you are hungry for such then you may be filled with a bit of disappointment after listening to The Conscious Seed of Light. Aside from that, everything featured here is a masterful presentation of modern technical death metal, which in my opinion easily makes up for the lack of guitar spotlight.

written for metalmasterkingdom.com
http://www.metalmasterkingdom.com/rivers-of-nihil.html